Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R4/00—Electrically-conductive connections between two or more conductive members in direct contact, i.e. touching one another; Means for effecting or maintaining such contact; Electrically-conductive connections having two or more spaced connecting locations for conductors and using contact members penetrating insulation
  • H01R4/28—Clamped connections, spring connections
  • H01R4/48—Clamped connections, spring connections utilising a spring, clip, or other resilient member
  • H01R4/4809—Clamped connections, spring connections utilising a spring, clip, or other resilient member using a leaf spring to bias the conductor toward the busbar
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/02—Contact members
  • H01R13/10—Sockets for co-operation with pins or blades
  • H01R13/11—Resilient sockets
  • H01R13/111—Resilient sockets co-operating with pins having a circular transverse section
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/02—Contact members
  • H01R13/15—Pins, blades or sockets having separate spring member for producing or increasing contact pressure
  • H01R13/18—Pins, blades or sockets having separate spring member for producing or increasing contact pressure with the spring member surrounding the socket
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T29/00—Metal working
  • Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
  • Y10T29/49002—Electrical device making
  • Y10T29/49117—Conductor or circuit manufacturing
  • Y10T29/49204—Contact or terminal manufacturing

Definitions

• the present invention relates generally to electrical connectors, and more particularly relates to shock-resistant electrical connectors.
• a common type of connector is a pin-and-socket connector in which a elongate pin contact (male) is received in a substantially hollow cylindrical socket contact (female) comprised of a plurality of arcuate leaf contacts. The leaf contacts abut the sidewalls of the pin contact providing electrical continuity.
• Seismic sources generate tremendous shock waves, making it critical for any electrical connections in their vicinity to be robust and durable. Particularly where digital signals are involved (as is becoming more prevalent with state-of-the-art seismic instrumentation), it is important for electrical connections to be shock- and vibration- resistant, i.e., to maintain uninterrupted continuity over long periods of time even when subjected to mechanical forces (shock and vibration, or g-force) exerted on multiple axes.
• shock and vibration or g-force
• the present invention is directed to an electrical contact for use in a connector which is resistant to shock.
• the descriptor "resistant to shock” or “shock-resistant” will be understood to mean that an electrical connector is capable of withstanding repeated and forceful mechanical disturbances without its contacts being stressed or deflected to such an extent that the connector fails to consistently maintain electrical continuity.
• a socket assembly for a pin-and- socket type connector is modified relative to prior art designs.
• a sleeve or hood element surrounding the leaf contacts of a socket body core is provided with structure which serves to limit the extent of outward deflection of the leaf contacts compared with prior art designs.
• the structure comprises a non-uniform stepped inner sidewall profile of the hood element which prevents the leaf contacts from deflecting to the point of yielding to a permanent extent.
• Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view of a socket assembly in the electrical connector from Figure 1 ;
• Figure 4 is a proximal end view of the socket assembly from Figure 3;
• FIG. 5 is a side view of the socket assembly from Figure 3;
• Figure 6 is a distal end view of the socket assembly from Figure 3;
• Figure 7 is a proximal end view of a socket body core in the socket assembly from Figure 3;
• Figure 8 is a side view of a socket body core in the socket assembly from Figure 3;
• Figure 9 is a distal end view of a socket body core in the socket assembly from Figure 3;
• Figure 10 is a side cross-sectional view of a socket hood in the socket assembly from Figure 3;
• Figure 11 is a side cross-sectional view of an electrical connector in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 12 is a distal end view of the electrical connector from Figure 11;
• Figure 13 is a side cross-sectional view of a socket assembly in the electrical connector from Figure 11 ;
• Figure 14 is a proximal end view of the socket assembly from Figure 13;
• Figure 15 is a side view of the socket assembly from Figure 13;
• Figure 16 is a distal end view of the socket assembly from Figure 13;
• Figure 17 is a proximal end view of a socket body core in the socket assembly from Figure 13;
• Figure 18 is a side view of a socket body core in the socket assembly from Figure
• Figure 19 is a distal end view of a socket body core in the socket assembly from Figure 13;
• Figure 20a is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the socket hood from Figure 20;
• Figure 21a shows plots of insertion and retention force versus time for the electrical connector of Figure 11, before being subjected to shock testing;
• Figure 21b shows plots of insertion and retention force versus time for the electrical connector of Figure 11, after being subjected to shock testing;
• Figure 21d shows plots of insertion and retention force versus time for a prior art electrical connector after being subjected to shock testing.
• Figure 22 is a side view of a socket body core in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 1 is a side, cross-sectional view of connector 10
• Figure 2 is a distal end view of connector 10.
• Connector 10 comprises an outer body, which in the disclosed embodiment includes mating first and second body portions 12 and 14 defining an interior space 16. In the disclosed embodiment, first and second body portions are joined by a threaded connection 18. Supported within the outer body are at least one pin assembly 20 and at least one socket assembly 22. In the disclosed embodiment, connector 10 has two pin assemblies 20 and two socket assemblies 22. (The present invention is primary directed to a connector having at least one socket assembly, and the inclusion of additional socket assemblies and/or of one or more pin assemblies is of no particular consequence to the present disclosure.)
• the interior space 16 is preferably potted or filled with an insulative material, such as a plastic, which serves to secure and support the pin and socket assemblies 20, 22, as would be familiar to persons of ordinary skill in the art.
• FIG 3 is an exploded, side cross-sectional view of a prior art socket assembly 22.
• socket assembly 22 comprises an elongate socket body core 24 and a socket hood 26 adapted to surround a distal section 28 of socket body core 24.
• the socket core 24 is machined out of a beryllium/copper alloy
• the hood 26 is machined out of brass, although these compositions are not regarded as an essential element of the invention.
• Figure 4 is a proximal end view
• Figure 5 is a side view
• Figure 6 is a distal end view, of socket assembly 22 including socket core 24 and hood 26.
• Figure 7 is a proximal end view
• Figure 8 is a side view
• Figure 9 is a distal end view of socket core 24 from Figure 1.
• Figure 5 shows that hood 26 is retained over the distal end portion 28 of core 24 by crimping, as indicated at reference numerals 30.
• the distal end portion 28 of socket core 24 is substantially cylindrical, with a cylindrical bore 32 being formed therein to achieve a substantially hollow cylindrical configuration of section 28.
• bore 32 has a depth D.
• a plurality of arcuate leaf contacts 34 are formed from the distal portion of section 28. These leaf contacts are formed by making two transverse, radial cuts represented by the dashed lines designated with reference numerals 36 in Figure 9. The two cuts 36 are made to a length C as shown in Figure 8, and being perpendicular to one another, the two cuts 36 result in four equal sized arcuate leaf contacts 34. In the disclosed prior art embodiment of Figures 8 and 9, the length C of cuts 36 is greater than one-half of the depth D of bore 32, i.e., C > D/2.
• hood 26 is shown in Figure 10.
• hood is a hollow cylinder with a uniform cylindrical inner sidewall 38 and an inward flange 40 at its distal end.
• the present invention is directed to a pin-and-socket type connector 50 that is resistant to vibration and shock forces and thereby maintains uninterrupted electrical continuity even when repeatedly subjected to vibration and shock forces.
• FIG 11 is a side cross-sectional view of a shock-resistant electrical connector 50 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. It is to be understood that various features and components of electrical connector 50 are essentially identical to features and components of the prior art connector of Figures 1 through 10, and these identical features and components retain identical reference numerals in Figures 11 through 20.
• connector 50 comprises an outer body, which in the disclosed embodiment includes mating first and second body portions 12 and 14 defining an interior space 16. In the disclosed embodiment, first and second body portions are joined by a threaded connection 18. Supported within the outer body are at least one pin assembly 20 and at least one socket assembly 62. In the disclosed embodiment, connector 10 has two pin assemblies 20 and two socket assemblies 62.
• the present invention is primary directed to a connector having at least one socket assembly, and the inclusion of additional socket assemblies and/or of one or more pin assemblies is of no particular consequence to the present disclosure.
• the interior space 16 is preferably potted or filled with an insulative material, such as a plastic, which serves to secure and support the pin and socket assemblies 20, 62, as would be familiar to persons of ordinary skill in the art.
• FIG 13 is an exploded, side cross-sectional view of a prior art socket assembly 62.
• socket assembly 62 comprises an elongate socket body core 64 and a socket hood 66 adapted to surround a distal section 68 of socket body core 64.
• the distal end portion 68 of socket core 64 is substantially cylindrical, with a cylindrical bore 32 being formed therein to achieve a substantially hollow cylindrical configuration of section 68.
• bore 32 has a depth D.
• a plurality of arcuate leaf contacts 74 are formed from the distal portion of section 68. These leaf contacts 74 are formed by making two transverse, radial cuts represented by the dashed lines designated with reference numerals 76 in Figure 9. The two cuts 76 are made to a length L as shown in Figure 8, and being perpendicular to one another, the two cuts 76 result in four equal sized arcuate leaf contacts 74. In one embodiment, the length L of cuts 76 is less than one-half of the depth D of bore 32, i.e., L ⁇ D/2.
• hood is a hollow cylinder with a stepped, non-uniform cylindrical inner sidewall 78 and an inward flange 40 at its distal end.
• the inner sidewall 78 of hood 66 has structure in the form of a distal portion 80 with a reduced inner diameter relative to a proximal portion 82.
• a portion of hood 66 within dashed line 84 in Figure 20 is shown enlarged in Figure 20a. From Figure 20a, there can be observed a step-wise transition 86 between the sidewall of section 82 of hood 66 and the reduced- diameter sidewall of section 80 of hood 66.
• This structure functions to limit the radial deflection of leaf contacts 74 both during insertion of a pin contact therein and during shock events to which the connector 50 is subjected during use. Limiting outward deflection of the leaf contacts in this way advantageously prevents the contacts from yielding to the extent that permanent deformation occurs. In one embodiment, this structure causes slight inward deflection of leaf contacts 74 when no pin contact is inserted.
• shock tests on prior art connectors such as that shown in Figure 1 and connectors in accordance with the present invention (such as that shown in Figure 11) have been performed.
• the test apparatus consisted of a motorized weighted pendulum striking a stainless steel housing containing the units under test. A current (e.g., 12 amps) was run through the connector under test at each strike, and the voltage across the connectors was monitored. Connectors were tested for insertion and retention forces both before and after 70,000 cycle runs on the test stand.
• Figure 21c shows plots of insertion force (reference numeral 108) and retention force (reference numeral 110) for connector 10 ( Figure 1) in accordance with prior art designs prior to undergoing shock testing
• Figure 21d shows plots of insertion force (reference numeral 112) and retention force (reference numeral 114) for connector 10 after undergoing shock testing as described above.
• Figures 21a and 21b the flatter force profiles of connector 50 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention compared with those of the prior art connector 10.
• a constant force is applied to the pin contact throughout the stroke
• a more concentrated, sudden force is applied to the pin contact.
• flange structure 160 is not necessarily shown to scale in Figure 22, and persons of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure will recognize that the particular shape and dimensions of flange structure 160 will vary from implementation to implementation in order to achieve the functionality described herein.

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• Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)
• Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)

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Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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Citations (6)

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• 2011
  • 2011-02-08 CN CN201510083993.8A patent/CN105098427B/zh active Active
  • 2011-02-08 WO PCT/US2011/024085 patent/WO2011102995A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2011-02-08 EP EP11703360.5A patent/EP2537208B1/de active Active
  • 2011-02-08 CN CN2011800096649A patent/CN102834980A/zh active Pending
• 2012
  • 2012-08-02 US US13/564,865 patent/US8540532B2/en active Active
• 2013
  • 2013-09-13 US US14/026,457 patent/US8777662B2/en active Active

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